BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

A horse, a diva and a gymnast sell their Broadway wares

August 07, 2012|Chris Jones | Theater critic

Cydni Lauper performs a song from the musical "Kinky Boots" during the Broadway in Chicago Summer concert in Millennium Park. (Brent Lewis, Chicago Tribune)

Savvy longtime stars like Cathy Rigby know how to confront perception problems head-on. After belting out a number from "Peter Pan" for the umpteenth time, the diminutive celebrity didn't exit the stage of the Pritzker Pavilion Monday night, but instead made a beeline for the emcee of the evening, TV personality Janet Davies. "You think I'm old," Rigby said to the slightly startled host. "Look." And with that, Rigby started doing headstands and flips, as if she were still a member of the American Olympic gymnastics team. If Gabby Douglas can still do what Rigby can do when she's 60, she'll be trending very nicely.

With all due respect to the incomparable trooper Rigby — who showed up in person, once again, to promote her new tour — Cyndi Lauper and Joey, the equine puppet from the show "War Horse" were the unlikely co-stars of Broadway in Chicago's free annual promotional concert in Millennium Park Monday night, attracting thousands of people to the downtown venue on a beautiful summer evening to watch excerpts from plays and musicals.

Joey and his keeper revealed a few of their puppet secrets and surely sold more than a few tickets to their show, given that this brilliant, three-man illusion — also featured during the Queen of England's recent jubilee pageant on the River Thames — is one heck of a calling card for the piece. Lauper, who needs more than three men to work with, performed an up-tempo dance number from her new show "Kinky Boots" (which is trying out this fall in Chicago), replete with several of her co-stars.

Lauper (who composed but does not appear in "Kinky Boots") performed a good chunk of her number while sashaying out almost to the lawn, briefly delighting those who had shown up to see her and opening a few mouths among the many tourists and locals who had just happened upon her by accident. I'm not going to say anything about this very new and still-in-development material; there will come a time for that.

I will say, though, that a terrific young singer, Stephen Anthony, who apparently is headlining the upcoming non-Equity tour of "Catch Me If You Can" (a tour that most of Broadway already has written off even before it starts) offered a truly knockout performance of two of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman's songs, suggesting that there may actually be some talent and new ideas in this one. Or so we hope. And he was well matched by Ta'Rea Campbell, a lively and engaging performer slated to headline the tour of "Sister Act," at least when it plays Chicago.

Actually, the surprising highlight of the night was a superbly arranged medley of songs in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Nederlander Organization, which just happened to set up Broadway in Chicago, of course. Fine Chicago singers like Megan Long and Bethany Thomas (who now can command an outdoor stage of any size) stood up well to the beast, the boy who never grew up and the girl just having fun.